MPs: Local elections candidates should not be required to prove place of residence
Parties agree the current rule requiring candidates to prove residence in the city or municipality is flawed, with growing support for linking candidacy to tax payment.
At present, only people whose permanent residence is in the city or municipality where they are seeking election are allowed to run in local government elections.
This has sparked disputes over whether candidates actually live where they claim. For example, Nõo Municipal Mayor Maano Koemets has been accused of submitting false information to the state regarding his actual residence.
Ando Kiviberg, chair of the Riigikogu Constitutional Committee and a member of the Eesti 200 party, told ERR that he plans to rally parliamentary support for a proposal that would eliminate the requirement for candidates to prove their place of residence.
"It would be enough if a person shows a connection to the area where they want to run by having their taxes paid into that municipality. They don't have to live there daily; for instance, they could work in another city and only stay there on weekends," Kiviberg explained.
A similar proposal was recently put forward in the Riigikogu by EKRE. Their draft bill suggested that people should be able to run wherever they wish. Still, in mid-September, EKRE leader Martin Helme acknowledged in parliament that other parties were unlikely to support such a broad option.
"Our proposal is simply to remove the requirement for a residence address altogether, so that, just as in parliamentary elections, you can run in whichever municipality you choose, as long as you are an Estonian resident. But after talking with practically all the other parliamentary factions, it seems the preferred solution would be to fix in law that the registered address is the basis. No one should be nitpicking about whether someone really lives there or how much time they actually spend there — the registry data would serve as the foundation," Helme said.
Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu expressed a similar position to both Helme and Kiviberg, saying that people should be allowed to run in the city or municipality where they pay taxes.
Reform Party secretary general Timo Suslov, Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart and Social Democratic leader Lauri Läänemets also said the current system is unsatisfactory and must be changed.
According to Kõlvart, one option would be to make candidacy entirely unrestricted — the same idea that EKRE has proposed in parliament.
Lavly Perling, leader of the non-parliamentary Parempoolsed, also said candidacy should not depend on a person's place of residence.
"If someone lives daily in Tallinn but feels they have Seto roots and wants to run in Setomaa instead, then it's worth trusting the voter," Perling said.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
